It’s been a year since I mentioned native Washingtonian and Ward 7 resident Frank A. Bryant. To recap, upon being introduced I was very moved by his mission in regards to education reform and shaping the lives of D.C.’s youth, especially our young men that suffer from various social ills that affect their education. I talked about him in East of the River Magazine and later on the web publication Loop 21.
While I admit it’s been hard trying to catch up to Bryant, I do know he has been taking the past year to gear up for something big. His latest aim is to tackle bullying. It’s a topic that’s very close to his own heart as he was once a victim of such in his younger days. It seems that Bryant may have used his experiences as inspiration to write a children’s book; Dougie Learns to Read: Hip Hop Meets the Alphabet. Bryant also turned to D.C. native and artist Ricardo Mavin, who did the illustration for the book.
As the synopsis reads:
“Dougie is a young boy that is constantly taunted and bullied by his classmates because of his struggle with reading. But instead of giving up, Dougie pushes himself enough to become one of the best readers in his class while exploring the alphabet along the way. In “Dougie Learns to Read,” a boy learns that he too can succeed despite educational barriers and his own hardships. Be sure to share this inspirational tale with your students or loved ones, and be on the lookout for future Dougie adventures!”
Just launched, Dougie Learns to Read is available on Amazon for $6.99. Take a moment and order a copy for a kid in your life today! There is a lesson to be heard while having fun.
Mahoganie: Musings East of the Anacostia River 
Posted on April 21, 2013
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